A student's first step into the workforce is one of change and excitement, however, these youth are also facing a challenging soft skills gap. These gaps create obstacles for the youth trying to access their first job and have a professional start to their careers.
Youth make up a large portion of Auckland’s population and will contribute to the future success of Auckland’s economy.
This design project looked at the goals expressed in the Auckland Plan 2050, a group of parameters that tells how the city needs to develop in a sustainable way. One focus of this project was to foster opportunities for young people to build soft skills (Auckland Council, 2018). These soft skills are non tangible abilities, such as time management and communication skills, that can improve student’s success in professional life and ensure they are better prepared for employment.
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This project aims to supplement the knowledge provided by schools, empowering youth with fundamental life skills, industry and beyond. We also want to decrease rates of youth not in education, employment or training (also referred to as NEET) in Auckland and New Zealand. People in this group are more susceptible to serious consequences such as mental health issues and social exclusion.
Nudge, is a mobile app that aims to bridge the gap between the skills young people have and those employers are looking for. The title Nudge inspires action and speaks of a change in behaviour. The impact of social media and digital technology has influenced our design outcome by promoting mobile learning for soft skills, with gamification strategies and elements to engage with young people using reward systems and mechanics in a non-game context.
At its core, this app is built around skill acquisition, where students will sign up for workshops hosted by industry experts to expand the students’ understanding about the professional world. After completing a workshop, students will earn a badge to display on their digital profile and CV, unlocking different opportunities in the marketplace. Students can track their learning journey, invite friends to upcoming workshops and apply for jobs. The app is connected to a portal where employers can list professional opportunities such as jobs, internships and apprenticeships, while they can also view the students’ profiles and badges to see the kind of skills they developed and how suitable they are for a particular job.
